Auction Ended Success

Thanks to all of you our first auction was a huge success!  We took this signed Donovan McNabb football and turned it into a $500 donation for the JDRF.  I spoke with the winning bidder tonight and what a wonderful woman!  She could not have been any nicer...  Here is the message she left when she made her donation:

God bless you all in your journey to cure juvenile diabetes. My prayers go to Arden and her family. Best Wishes on finding the cure. Thank you to Eagles organization for my winning football. -Renee

Thanks to all of the bidders!  Keep an eye out for more opportunities to win signed Eagles swag...  There is more to come.  Thank you for your support!  Because of you.  Because you read, forward, talk about, bid and donate this site is growing!  So far this year we’ve generated $9,026 in donations for the JDRF.  Our grand total (including 2006) is $10,597

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The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.

Megan

Thanks Renee!  For helping my niece, and the JDRF.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 - 08:05 PM

Robbinsville MOMS Club(r)

Today I had the chance to speak in front of our local MOMS Club(r).  I’d like to thank the members of the Robbinsville MOMS Club(r) for inviting me and for being such wonderful hostesses!

It was a fantastic opportunity to share Arden’s day with the parents of children that one day Arden will be in school with.  Educating friends and family was this site’s first goal and though we’ve branched out a bit and had a lot of success fund raising, I’m most proud of what we did today.

Educating people that one day may be a friends parent, a room mom or a neighbor will go a long way to normalizing Arden’s disease in their eyes.  Thus normalizing her day-to-day interactions with those people.  

Inevitably, one day Arden will suffer a low blood glucose at school or while visiting a friends house.  During that low BG event she may become disoriented, agitated or even have a seizure.  Knowing people that are able to identify what is happening to Arden will play a huge part in us being comfortable leaving her alone in those situations.  Our comfort will resinate with Arden making her more comfortable and give her the feeling of normalcy.  In addition, our secondary goal is that after said event ends, no one “looks” at her differently.   

Arden is a normal little girl whose pancreas doesn’t work.  She’ll have to learn to live with certain health issues and limitations but she shouldn’t have to feel different because of them.  That’s one of our goals and today felt like a big step in making that a reality for Arden.  So thank you again for the invitation to speak, it meant a lot to me.

If you are visiting from the MOMS Club(r) and didn’t attend the meeting below are links to the handout I used today.  Anyone that is interested can download them in PDF form.

AD Packet1 - Cover.pdf    AD Packet2 - About.pdf    AD Packet3 - Warning Signs.pdf

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The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.

tanya

I'm so glad you had the opportunity to talk with the moms who were there today and have given those unable to make it (like me) the chance to view your handouts.  You've certainly opened my eyes to the disease and I continue to watch my kids for symptoms.  Thanks for educating me and showing all of us that it's possible for some very real good to come out of something that may seem so bad.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 05:32 PM

Kimberly

Thank you for speaking with our group today.  Taking extra time to teach our children about compassion, diversity, and tolence in school and in our community is so important....your message was heard!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 06:15 PM

Generosity from a stranger

My son says that I talk too much to people I don’t know.  Admitably I do quite enjoy meeting new people.  I can’t seem get enough of seeing the world through other’s eyes.

We went to a party on New Year’s Eve and by the time I parked the car and got inside our son Cole had found a group of strangers watching a football game and he joined them.  As it turns out, Cole is a bit chatty himself...

A little later a wonderful woman (who is too humble to let me use her name) came over to tell us about her conversation with Cole.  She mentioned that he knows more about the Philadelphia Eagles than she does which is of particular interest because she works for them.  As the evening progressed she must have watched Arden get her BG checked and it seems the experience touched her because...

It’s only a few days later but look at what came in the mail today from Arden’s Day’s newest supporter...

The Philadelphia Eagles have sent us an authentic NFL football signed by Donavan McNabb to help us raise donations for the JDRF!!!  

It’s 4:30 am do you know if you have Fruit Loops?

When Arden’s BG is too high for too long she begins to suffer from painful leg cramping.  It wakes her in the middle of the night and the only thing that helps is constant rubbing.  This is a very common issue with Type I diabetics.

Aside from Arden’s pain, it is as you may know draining to not get a full nights sleep -- ever.  So it takes a toll on us too.  Though to be honest Arden wants her mom in these situations so it’s mostly Kel’s burden to carry.  All I have to endure is Kelly reminding me of said burden. (Arguments can be made from either side as to which is worse.) 

We constantly struggle to get and maintain the tightest control of Arden’s BG as possible.  The more comfortable we become managing the disease the braver we get about injecting insulin in the late evening.  Last night was one of those brave nights...  Especially since she had bad cramping the evening before.

Arden got snacky before bed.  She ate and because we were outside of her slow acting insulin’s (Levemir) effective periodand her fast acting (NovoLog) insulin, injections were necessary.  Normally had she not eaten I would have been able to just give a half unit of Lev and put her to bed.  The issue is that the food she took in drove her BG up and though the Lev would drag it back down overnight, it would take too long leaving her BG too high and among other (horrible) things cause the cramping.  So she needs Nov too.

I draw a syringe with just under a half of Lev and make up the rest with Nov.  Just the tiniest amount.  If I gave her that amount right now her BG would barely move but as we know sleeping really ratchets up the effectiveness for some reason.  So I did what I thought was right trying to err on the side of caution without risky an overnight high.

But I was wrong... 

So at exactly 4:38 am Arden’s BG was 65 and she needed to eat.  But she didn’t want juice or a cookie or anything that would have been easy.  There we all sat, at a quarter to five in the morning watching Arden eat a bowl of Fruit Loops in our bed.

This scene is playing out in countless parents beds all over the country, every night and it will continue to as long as diabetes goes uncured.  

SMCA

We just received some really fantastic news and just in time for Christmas!  The SMCA or The Sheet Metal Contractors Association of Philadelphiaheard about Arden’s Day and were moved to advocacy!  SMCA is an association of leading Sheet Metal Contractors, employing the master craftsmen of Local Union #19, SMWIA.

Historically the SMCA makes a charitable donation to the Hero Scholarship Thrill Show, an annual event created to provide a college education for children of police and firefighters who were killed or disabled in the line of duty.  This year they have decided to expand their charitable giving and have generously made a $1,000 donation the the JDRF in Arden’s name.  

Arden is also being featured in their December Newsletter which is mailing today.  I’ll post a copy of it as soon as it is available.  Here is the text from the newsletter:

NEED LETTER

Please join me in welcoming the members of SMCA to our site and thank them for their generous support!   

Individuals wishing to make a tax deductible donation to the JDRF in Arden’s name can do so by clicking here.